The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report warns that the region is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, driving more extreme weather and posing serious threats to lives, ecosystems, and economies. In 2024, Asia experienced its warmest or second warmest year on …
It seems that bacteria, one strain at least, can work wonders for art. Scientists at Milan University in Italy claim to have used the bacterium Pseudomonas stutzeri to restore a 14th century Italian fresco. The painting, Conversion of St Efisio by Spinello Aretino, which was once part of a 14th …
an exotic fungus may help save your favourite cup of tea. Scientists are planning to introduce a rust fungus to combat a weed that is strangling India's tea crops all over Assam and Darjeeling. However, the biological agent to kill Mikania micrantha may not be as good as claimed
gold can now be made inside the cells of a microorganism, thanks to the ecofriendly work of researchers from the National Chemical Laboratory and the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune. They took microorganisms called Rhodococcus from a fig tree and exposed them to a liquid containing gold ions (electrically charged …
Cave Art The Lascaux caves in France, which host fabulous prehistoric art, are being threatened by harmful microorganisms again. The invading fungus, a member of the Fusarium family, was first spotted in June 2001 and has now spread to the floor, walls and parts of the caves' ceiling. Experts speculate …
US scientists have mooted a database containing genetic details of all types of bacteria and viruses that are potential bioweapon agents. It is felt that such a record will give scientists quick answers in the event of a major attack. The experts made this and a host of similar suggestions …
in the famous television series Dark Angel, a colossal electromagnetic pulse wipes out the entire electronic infrastructure of the us. Perhaps this series has inspired us scientists to devise a new type of memory, that too within living organisms. "Protection of information is a must in case of a nuclear …
ALIENS are now no longer confined to our childhood fancy. Early last year, they were found floating some 41 kilometres above the Earth's surface - an area devoid of life. What's more, the aliens - a kind of fungus and two species of bacteria - are similar to commonly found …
Accumulation of sulfur-containing compounds and their bacterial mediated reductions have led to the emission of pungent odors from stagnant water bodies. This study is focused on the contribution of inorganic sulfur compounds in the emission of hydrogen sulfide. The measured dissolved oxygen levels have demonstrated good negative correlations with the …
a quest is underway to find commercially useful microbes. For the first time ever, an international consortium of scientists is exploring the remote areas of Tibet and China's Inner Mongolia province for these tiny organisms. The scientists will scour the inhospitable environs of soda lakes, salt lakes and hot springs …
some green algae use signal molecules generated by bacteria to colonise underwater structures like oilrigs and pipes. This was discovered during a study conducted by researchers from Sweden-based Umea University. The finding could have important economic implications: by blocking the molecules, it would be possible to prevent algae like the …
the mechanism by which inhaled anthrax disarms and evades the human immune system, enabling the potentially lethal bacteria to rapidly spread throughout the body has been discovered by researchers from the University of California, usa. Their research describes how a complex of the anthrax bacteria's proteins called lethal toxin (lt) …
It would seem as if long-sleeved apparel were back in vogue in the us. But protection, not fashion, has forced people to cover themselves up. For, the West Nile virus has reared its head again in the country
using genetic code as the recipe and carbon-containing chemicals as the ingredients, researchers have recently recreated the polio virus. The feat is significant, as it is for the first time that a working biological entity has been synthesised. Moreover, the achievement is a step towards creating life in laboratories
An international team of scientists plumbing the bubblingblack depths of a geothermal hot spring in usahave discovered an unique community of microbes that thrive without sunlight or oxygen. The one-celled organismsknown as Archaeagrow by consuming hydrogen that is produced by hot water reacting with bedrock. The creatures produce tiny amounts …
Infection due to the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may increase the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life, reveals recent research. Multiple sclerosis is an incurable disease in which the tissues around the nerves come under attack from the body's own immune system. Researchers at Boston-based Harvard School of …
One of the most widely disseminated strains of an antibiotic-resistant bacterium responsible for hundreds of infections in European hospitals can be traced back to the 1950s, according to researchers at the Rockefeller University, USA. Using DNA fingerprinting they have shown that this persistent lineage of Staphylococcus aureus is an expert …
in the early 1980s, an illegal battery-disposal operation in Hong Kong's Junk Bay was releasing large amounts of polychlorinated biphenyls, lead and zinc into the water. But the crime did not escape everyone's vigil. The barnacles and mussels in the bay concentrated the pollutants in their tissues. The evidence they …
two microorganisms that break down benzene without the aid of oxygen have been isolated by scientists at Southern Illinois University ( siuc ), Carbondale, usa. This could be an important breakthrough that could help remove the highly toxic chemical from the environment. Benzene, used as an additive in petrol and …
